Professor Bennett Gershman condemns “lame-duck executions” in a New York Law Journal op-ed

In a New York Law Journal op-ed published on December 4, Prof. Bennett Gershman condemns the resumption of federal executions so late in the Trump presidency. “These ‘lame-duck executions’ are horrifying,” he writes. “But with a pandemic raging, and tens of thousands of persons dying each week, these executions are largely being ignored.”

Prof. Gershman writes further: “According to a recent Gallup poll, 60% of Americans believe that life in prison is a more just and humane punishment than capital punishment. The death penalty is also notoriously racist: A disproportionate number of persons on death row are black and Hispanic, and the imposition of the death penalty is far more often used when the victim is white, as were the victims in Trump’s execution spree. The executions also subvert the will of the voters. President-elect Joe Biden’s plan for strengthening America’s commitment to racial justice includes eliminating the federal death penalty. So why is Trump seeking to kill more people now?”

Read more: https://www.law.com/newyorklawjournal/2020/12/04/lame-duck-executions/?cmp=share_twitter